The Great Experiment
by Kagome51
Summary: Based on one of Cordria's Nova Shot's. They had him, they finally had him. But he is nothing like they expected. So, what do you do with a ghost boy who is more boy than ghost?
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so this is gonna be a short story based on Cordria's one shot called "The Great Experiment". It's just one one shot in her Nova Shot's series. I loved it so much I asked if I could write a short story on it, and she agreed. It just touched me and I wanted to relay the relationship between Danny and his parents.**

**Once again, I thank you, Cordria, for allowing me to write this and I apologize for me taking so long to write it ********.**

**This story is dedicated to Cordria and her wonderful writing.**

**This first chapter will be her one shot, I will pick it up next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DP, nor do I own the basic plot line to this story. They belong to their respective owners. ^_^**

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**Chapter One**

**~*~**

They had him. _Finally_. After months of collecting data and weeks of analysis to find a pattern to the ghost's behavior, hours of meticulous planning to set up their trap, and several heart-stopping, frantic moments when they thought everything was going to fall to pieces… they had him. Never mind that over the intervening months they'd both separately wondered whether or not they _should_ catch him, catch him they did.

Jack leaned over the unconscious form, a huge smile plastered on his face even as he went about the frustrating task of untangling the ghost from the net they'd caught him in. Sticky fibers clung to the ghost's clothes, skin, and hair, and the whole mess was made infinitely worse by how much the ghost had struggled before succumbing to the sedative in the sticky goo. It had taken far longer than they had expected for the ghost to lapse into unconsciousness.

"You're never going to get that undone, Jack," Maddie said simply as she watched her husband try to find a place to being unwinding the net. The sedative should have taken effect immediately, resulting in none of this tangle of netting – she had already set part of her mind on figuring out what had gone wrong. "We're going to have to cut it off."

"Nonsense," Jack blustered, his large fingers picking delicately at the net. "I can do it."

Maddie sent him a small, tired grin. The large man would, if she let him, sit there and work on that stupid net for hours. "Let's get him in the GAV, okay Jack? You can work on it some more as I drive us back to the lab."

"Get the gurney, would you, Mads?"

Nodding, she vanished into the evening shadows in the direction of the Ghost Assault Vehicle. Jack plucked at a few of the net's strands as he waited for her to return, sighing a little. The thought of cutting his precious net apart was painful, but he was pretty sure that his wife was right. Getting the ghost out of the net would take hours – hours they didn't have.

Almost gingerly, Jack's fingers reached out to brush some of the white hairs away from the ghost's face, studying his captive intently. Getting the sticky net out of the boy's hair would definitely require some scissors. He could picture the look in the teenager's face when he realized that his hair had been cut. Those green eyes would simmer with power and anger. Strangely though, Jack couldn't picture the ghost being too furious about it.

"Danny Phantom," Jack said softly. "The ghost of Amity Park. I can't believe it." Deep inside, Jack was still waiting for the ghost to pull one of his miraculous escapes and vanish from his grasp.

The squeak of the gurney's wheels heralded his wife's return and Jack turned towards her. At her ready smile, Jack leaned down to pick up his prize. He was already busy cataloguing data in his mind – the boy was lighter than expected, perhaps only ten to fifteen kilos, and seemed to have an internal firm 'structure' not far off from a human's (Jack had often wondered if a ghost would become a rather formless blob when it lost consciousness, or whether its 'body' was more stable than that).

Laying the ghost on the hard gurney, Jack grinned. "You did a great job, Mads." He couldn't stop the bubble of happiness that was growing inside of him. Slowly but surely, he was getting his mind around the fact that he did, in fact, _have Danny Phantom_. The boy wasn't going to get away this time. "Right on target."

"It was your invention that worked so well," Maddie glowed back, her own smile threatening to split her face in half. She turned the gurney around and started back down the street, wheels squeaking pitifully, trying to split her attention between the pock-marked road and her captive.

"This will be great!" Jack was bouncing on his toes as the excitement about what was going happen next curling through him. He was _finally_ going to be able to answer all the questions he'd been creating since college. How did the ghosts hold their forms together? How did they sustain their 'life'? Did they sleep? Did they eat? "We finally get to run all of those experiments we've been wanting…"

The squeak of the wheels stopped. Maddie's forehead was furrowing, her eyes narrowing, an intense look on her face as she studied the boy. She'd noticed something strange. "Jack…"

"What?" Jack looked down at the firmly trussed-up ghost, searching for any signs of consciousness. The boy shouldn't have been able to wake up while still in the clutches of the net.

Maddie reached forwards. One of the ghost's arms had been pulled up tightly against his chest by the net and Maddie put her hand on top of the arm, waiting for a few moments. There – she could feel it, the thing she'd noticed – a steady rise and fall to the boy's chest. She pulled her hand away, confused. Then she slowly took off her glove and placed her hand a few centimeters from Phantom's mouth. A slightly puff of cold air danced across her fingers. "He's breathing," she whispered, bewilderment warring with awe and curiosity.

"That's not possible," Jack said, taking off his own glove to feel the slight exhalations. "Ghost's don't breathe."

Maddie was slowly fitting her glove back on her hand, thinking through her next thoughts carefully. "Jack… do you think… that maybe he _needs_ to breathe?"

Jack shot her a look, confused. "What do you mean? He doesn't have lungs, he doesn't have blood, and he doesn't have cells that need oxygen. He's a ghost."

"And ghosts don't breathe." Maddie frowned down at the ghost, the image of the tightly bound ghost refusing to leave her thoughts. "This one does, for some reason."

"True," Jack agreed, not knowing where this was going. "Come on, Mads. Let's get him in the GAV." He reached over and took the gurney from his wife, starting to push it towards their van, his mind turning to the experiments he had planned to run. The first – one that was already set up in the vehicle – was to take and analyze an ectoplasm sample. It'd tell them all sorts of interesting things about the young ghost boy.

Maddie nodded and followed, still troubled by her own thoughts. "What if he does, though." She bit her lip a little. "What if he _does_ need to breathe and the net's too tight?"

"We'll cut the net off him," Jack said simply. He didn't like the thought of cutting up the net he'd worked so hard to create, but he'd go along with his wife on this one. And, on the off chance that the ghost really did _need_ to breathe, Jack wasn't willing to risk losing his captive. He had too much riding on the young ghost.

"Good," Maddie said, pleased for some reason, and took a few quick steps to reach the doors to the van before Jack did. She unlocked the side door and pulled it open before climbing in. Once inside, she turned around to help Jack maneuver the gurney into the GAV's mobile laboratory. It wasn't as hard as either of them had been expecting – the old hospital gurney far out-weighted the slight ghost.

Jack clambered into the van with a grin, turning to search through the cabinets for a pair of scissors or a knife to cut the sticky net open. "We are going to be _famous_," Jack almost crowed with excitement, his eyes glittering in the fluorescent light. "Front page of magazines for sure." His fingers closed around a hunting knife he'd stored up in one of the cabinets. "Jack Fenton, the man who solved the greatest paranormal scientific questions of his day. The Albert Einstein of ectoplasmic physics. The Galileo of supernatural astronomy."

As he started to cut through the sticky net – the goo not sticking to the 'human' knife – Maddie dug out a stopwatch and started to count the ghost's breathing. "About ten breaths a minute," she whispered softly to herself after a few minutes of silent watching, grabbing a clipboard to scratch notes on. "That's about the same as me."

"I wonder why he bothers breathing," Jack said, sawing at the last few strands of the net. "There's no reason to, other than maybe psychological."

Maddie shrugged and took the knife when Jack offered it to her, the last bit of the net sliced open. The ghost was still covered in the sticky, sleep-inducing goo and Jack was slowly pulling pieces of the net off the ghost's body and tossing them into the sink. "A remembered affectation?" she guessed, set down her clipboard, and headed up to the ghost's head to help remove the clinging pieces of net.

"Who knows." Jack muttered, yanking some more net off the boy's ankles. "Put that question down next to the one about why he didn't get knocked out the instant the sedative touched him."

"It worked on all the test subjects," Maddie murmured, carefully pulling the net away from the boy's face and using the knife to cut the hair that was stuck irrevocably to the netting. She winced, seeing her handiwork. The poor ghost would look like he'd been attacked by hedge clippers by the time she was done. "Maybe not so sticky next time, Jack."

"Definitely."

She'd worked about half of the boy's hair free when an odd question jumped into her mind. "I wonder," she whispered, stopping her work to strip off one of her gloves again. Jack hesitated from what he was doing to watch his wife press her fingers against the ghost's neck, perplexed by what she was thinking she'd find.

Even through the thick fabric of the boy's jumpsuit, she could feel the steady flutter of a pulse. Maddie's mouth dropped open in amazement, all thoughts of releasing the ghost from the net vanishing from her mind. "A heartbeat," she breathed.

Not noticing Jack's widening, disbelieving eyes, Maddie's bare fingers drifted up to touch the boy's cheek. She knew what to expect – freezing temperature, a strange semi-sold smooth feel to the skin, a slight zap of the ectoplasmic static charge that constantly hung around the spirit. What she expected, however, was not what she found.

"Jack…" She didn't know what to say beyond that, quickly tearing off her other glove to feel the boy's skin with both hands. Yes, there was the small static discharge but beyond that _nothing_ was right. The ghost's skin had the same texture as her own, solid and firm. Underneath the soft skin, she could feel, impossibly, the bone structure of the boy's face. "Ghosts don't have bones…" she whispered to herself as her fingers traced over the boy's face, pressing firmly against the boy's forehead. The 'skin' _should_ have given way under pressure – more like thick foam than skin – but her fingers refused to make a dent. The ghost's internal structure was rigid, unyielding, and entirely impossible.

What amazed her the most, however, was the temperature of the boy's skin. "Jack, feel this," she said, looking up at her husband with wide eyes.

Jack leaned forwards, taking off his glove and pressing the backs of his fingers softly against the ghost's face. "Woah…" he whispered, letting the improbable _warmth_ of the ghost seep into him. "That's, what… twenty-five degrees C? Still too cold for a human, but…"

"But impossible," Maddie finished, dazedly. "Ectoplasm _evaporates_ at fifteen degrees C. This ghost should be nothing more than a cloud of gas!"

Jack pulled his hand away and stood up, searching for the thermometer he knew was hidden inside one of the kits. "Ghosts maintain an internal temperature of fourteen degrees C," Jack mumbled to himself as he searched, "there's no way that what we felt is real. It was just some illusion of some kind. The lights, making it seem warmer than it could possibly be."

Maddie shook her head, continuing to slowly trace her fingers over the ghost's face. Every time she passed by the boy's mouth, she could feel that steady exhalation of cold air. When Jack dropped back down next to the gurney and put the thermometer's probe in Phantom's ear, she looked up at him, waiting.

"Twenty-three point four," Jack said numbly. "That's not possible."

Both of them sat silently for a long set of minutes, staring down at the ghost they'd managed to catch. The ghost that was breaking every one of their theories. The ghost that _shouldn't exist_.

"Let's get him out of the net," Maddie finally managed to get out. "Get him back to the lab. Run some… tests…" She hesitated, not sure what the tests would show anymore. Not entirely sure _which_ tests to run. They weren't going to be running some experiments merely to prove their theories anymore. These tests, this data, would _create_ new theories.

Jack nodded slowly, carefully starting to remove the remainders of the net still clinging tightly to their ghost. His mind was racing, confused and blank, as it tried to fit the pieces of the mystery together. "I just don't believe it," he muttered stubbornly. A sharp yank on a sticky piece of net took one of Phantom's gloves off of his hands. The instant it was away from the boy's body, it entire glove vanished into thin wisps of gas.

"Jack…"

"I saw it," Jack said with an unhappy, befuddled sigh. He didn't like being confused.

"The ghost must have been holding it solid – when it left the boy's field of control, it's unnaturally high temperature caused it to subliminate," Maddie theorized, reaching down to pull off Phantom's other glove. Like its partner, the moment it was all on its own, the glove disintegrated into a frozen mist. "Amazing."

Jack pulled on the last remaining bit of the net he could reach, freeing the ghost from the clutches of the sticky webbing. "Now what?" he asked, baffled. All of his plans had been thrown out the window by this unconventional spirit.

Maddie rocked back on her heels, studying the ghost they'd captured. "Follow through with our plan, I guess," she said slowly. "Do the ectoplasm sample."

With a nod, Jack grabbed a tray off the counter, the pre-set-up equipment glinting in the florescent light. He picked up the needle, then hesitated. "Do you think he's got veins and arteries then? Or can we stick it in anywhere?"

Maddie rubbed her hand over her face. "Maybe." She was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I know how to take blood samples, I can do it." Grabbing the knife back off the ground, she sliced off one of Phantom's sleeves and studied his arm for a moment. "I'm going to need some kind of tourniquet," she said softly, "so I can find his vein. If he's got one, anyway."

Jack dug up the old first aid kit and handed her the stretchy piece of elastic, holding onto the needle while she tied it around Phantom's arm. Both of them watched a dark green glowing vein slowly appear just under the ghost's skin. Maddie took the needle, pushed it through the boy's cold skin, and slowly drew back on the plunger. Fluid raced into the capsule.

She released the tourniquet and pressed a piece of gauze against the small hole before she allowed herself to glance at what she'd just extracted. The fluid was a dark color – muddy greenish brown – and glowing faintly.

"What is it?" Jack asked softly.

Shrugging, Maddie just continued to stare at the liquid. It wasn'tectoplasm, that much was for sure. "Run it through the test, just like we had planned," she said after a moment.

Jack took the needle from her. "How much longer before he regains consciousness?"

"A couple of hours, now that the net is gone," Maddie said slowly, wondering if she was right. The goo had been _designed_ to keep the ghost unconscious for several hours, at least. Whether or not it _would_ was something her mind was fiercely debating. In the mean time, though, her fingers mindless brushed a bit of the ghost's hair out of his face.

"I'll get this going, then we need to get back to the lab," Jack said quietly, his exuberance at finally catching Phantom having been distilled by the confusion of what they'd found. Even as he talked about his pet equipment, Jack's voice was dim. "I enhanced the analyzer, so we should have results by the time we get home."

"You drive. I'll stay back here just in case he wakes up."

Jack looked worriedly into his wife's eyes. He'd seen that look in her eyes before; it was the same look that she used to give the abandoned kitten she'd found in college, and any number of creatures she'd found since then. "He's a ghost, remember that, Mads. Just a ball of spirit and energy. Maybe some new kind of ghost, but he's still _just a ghost_."

Maddie nodded, but as Jack put the strange sample into the machines and headed towards the driver's seat, she didn't know what to think. Ghosts don't breathe. Ghosts don't have heartbeats. Ghost don't have such abnormally high body temperatures.

Shaking her head, she braced herself against the jerk of the GAV as it started to move. Perhaps most importantly – to her, anyways – ghosts don't inspire motherly instincts.

Jack was staring, frustrated, at the results his supped-up analyzer had spit out for them. The ghost, still sticky from the residue but free of the scraps of net, was lying on the floor of their basement lab, surrounded by a powerful ghost shield, still unconscious.

"What's it say?" Maddie asked as she came down the stairs, her eyes drifting to the sleeping ghost. She held out one of the steaming cups of coffee to her husband.

"Gibberish," Jack said, disgruntled, willingly trading the test results for the coffee.

She scanned them slowly, sipping at her coffee, and perched herself on one of the tall chairs. "Amino acids?" Her forehead wrinkled. "I thought ectoplasm was the antithesis of basic amino acid structure."

"It doesn't make any sense." Jack frowned in agreement. "There must be something wrong with the analyzer."

Maddie didn't say anything for a moment, gazing at the odd chemical compounds the analyzer had graphed. Molecular enzymes, a strange watery plasma, carbon molecules… "It looks more like blood than ectoplasm," she murmured. "Amino acids – that could be some form of DNA or RNA."

Jack snorted. "What are you trying to say, that he's human or something?"

Maddie shook her head, but bit her lip. "I'm saying… maybe… he's not… a ghost." She closed her eyes, trying to piece together her impossible theory. "Could it be possible that he's something in between? A ghost with human genetics?"

"A creature that's half human and half ghost?" Jack's voice clearly stated how illogical he thought that was.

Maddie let a small smile drift onto her lips and she chuckled. She was about to respond to him, clarify her idea a little more, but a soft groan interrupted her thoughts. Both adults turned around on their chairs to watch the young ghost curl up on his side. When his green eyes finally flickered open, glancing around in worry, Maddie pushed herself to her feet and tried to ignore the little maternal fluttering that wanted her to rush to his side.

From her spot in the shadows, Maddie watched the ghost scuttle backwards and press his back against the thick shield of electrified plasma, his fascinating eyes fixed onto her form. "Interesting," she whispered. A 'normal' ghost wouldn't have been able to stand touching the shield. Phantom treated it more like a solid wall than the electrified fence it was designed to be.

"What… why… Let me go!" Phantom demanded, his voice shaking as he stared at her.

"Not yet," Maddie answered, stepping out of the shadows and slowly approaching the ghost, crouching down just outside the shield. Her goggles reflected the harsh fluorescent lights and she saw Phantom shudder.

"Mad scientist much?" he muttered darkly, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at her. Jack, still sitting in the corner with his coffee and test results, chuckled.

Maddie just quietly watched him, studying his every movement, cataloguing his actions against what she knew about ghosts. He wasn't floating like a 'normal' ghost would have. He wasn't reacting to his emotions through the use of violence or manipulation, rather he seemed to be trying to cover up his fear with barvado. He wasn't, she noted with surprise, willing to look her in the eye for more than a few moments at a time.

She was faced with the very simple fact that Phantom _looked_ like a ghost. He had the same abilities as a ghost. Just looking at him, knowing what little she did about him, he _was_ a ghost.

But there was so many things wrong with him. One or two things and yes, she would have been okay thinking her theories were just off base. There was no way, not after twenty years of experiments and research and data, that they were _that_ wrong.

There were only two options. One: she was deluding herself and her paranormal theories were, in fact, impossibly wrong. Or two: she wasn't looking at a ghost.

Phantom looked up at her, fear and panic warring in his simmering gaze. "Let me go," he pleaded. His arms were almost visibly trembling by this point. "I don't want to be ripped apart."

Maddie didn't reply to that, but she already knew that she wouldn't be able to experiment on him… not until she knew more. She wasn't going to chance experimenting on something that might be sentient. The boy was in no real danger from either her or Jack.

This was their greatest experiment, finally captured and sitting in front of them. "What are you?" she whispered.

Tears were the only answer.

**--**

**Ok so that was Cordria's one shot. I hoped you enjoyed her work and I look forward to posting again ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok so the continuation of The Great Experiment! I hope I can live up to Cordria's standards, but that may be hard. She is a very good writer! This may take a while to post because I will be editing it to try and make it good so sorry for the wait!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DP or the original plot line :)**

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**Chapter Two**

**~*~**

He refused to say a word. The only sounds in the room for a long while were the buzzing of random instruments and equipment and the soft patter of tears hitting tile. He pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head in his arms and remained quiet.

Maddie was perplexed to say the least. Not only did this ghost go against everything she knew about them, but now he was _crying_. That kind of emotion just wasn't possible for a non-sentient being. She looked at her husband and he gazed back, shrugging his shoulders. He was just as bewildered as she.

The woman stood and sighed. It was clear the ghost child wasn't going to say anything more for now. At the sound of her husband's growling stomach and his sheepish grin, she chuckled lightly. "Would you like something to eat, dear?"

Jack nodded vehemently. "Maybe some grilled cheese! Oh! And fudge! Can't forget the fudge!"

Maddie smiled at her beloved and shook her head. With one last sad glance at the ghost in his cage, she went up the stairs to make lunch.

As his wife exited, curiosity overtook Jack and he took a few steps near the cage. Unlike his wife, he didn't have maternal instincts kick in at seeing the young ghosts' suffering; but that didn't mean the man was heartless. Now that he finally had public enemy number one in his custody, he didn't feel the overwhelming joy he thought he would as he gazed at the rocking form.

He didn't know why, but something inside him compelled him to ask. "Are you alright?" A stupid question. He knew it as soon as it left his lips.

Jack actually received a reaction from the halfa. A pale face lifted from its spot in his knees and blazing green eyes glared. "You captured me and stuck me in a cage. You took away my freedom. How do you think I am?" he spat.

Jack was taken aback and could only stare wide eyed at the young hybrid. After a short time, Phantom's eyes lost their steel gaze and softened into sorrow before being buried once again in his knees.

No, Jack did not feel joy at all.

The large man stalked out of the lab and up the stairs after his wife.

Once the room was empty, Danny took a moment to look around. He was, of course, familiar with the lab. But there were instruments lying on tables he had never seen before--possibly for dissecting ghosts. Danny shivered.

He wiped away a stray tear and forced himself to calm down. His first reaction was emotional, but now he had to think logically. Was there anyway out of here?

With fluid motion he stood and walked around the cage to inspect for any flaws. None, the plasma was strong and sturdy. _Why did this invention have to work_? Danny thought angrily.

_Alright, think, Fenton, think._ He berated himself as he paced. He couldn't get out, the plasma was solid. Jazz was away on a weekend field trip so she wouldn't find him down there. That left one option; contacting Sam and Tuck. _How exactly do I do that?_

His thoughts were interrupted as light footsteps patted the stairs. Danny tensed and once again put up a brave front.

Maddie gazed at him from the bottom of the steps. Once again she noted the ghost wouldn't hold eye contact for more than a few moments at a time. She had to admit to herself there was something haunting and almost familiar about the young ghosts' eyes. Her own trailed over his form, confirming his human-like bone structure. No matter how many times she rolled it over in her head, nothing about Phantom made sense.

Her eyes made brief contact with his and she could see the terror behind his front. For a second she let her heart reach out for him until she realized what she was doing and drew herself back in. Maddie composed herself and walked to the shield, noticing how Phantom took a cautious step back. She stopped despite herself to try and keep his fear in check. The panic was already rising in his eyes and was evident in the way he held himself.

"I'm not here to hurt you." She assured him.

His response was a scoff. "I've heard that one before." His voice shook slightly betraying his stern tone.

Maddie paused, thinking carefully about what to say. "I am simply curious." She settled.

"So you decide to sate your curiosity by keeping me prisoner and dissecting me?" his glare hardened.

This time it was Maddie who was a little shocked. Merely a few minutes ago he was crying and begging for his life and now he was standing up to her. She sighed and dropped her shoulders. "You truly are perplexing." Her eyes rolled over him again to study him.

Danny noticed her scrutinizing gaze. "I'm not some caged animal. I won't entertain you and I certainly won't let you get your hands on me."

The malice in his voice ignited Maddie. She returned his glare and thrust a finger in his direction. "You're still a ghost! You don't have the rights of a human being! Like it or not, you're in _my_ plasma shield and Ican do _whatever_ I wish with you!"

Danny took another step back into the shield. So maybe angering his mom wasn't the best thing to do. But it's not like he had a way out, and as long as he kept her talking she wouldn't dissect him.

Amidst their glaring contest a growl resounded through the echoing lab. Danny's eyes widened slightly and he dropped his glare to adopt a shy blush. Maddie was puzzled. "Was that…?" she trailed off.

Danny nodded slightly. "I'm hungry."

The female scientist couldn't believe it. Ghosts didn't eat! They were dead and got their energy from ectoplasm, not food! Dumbfounded, she nodded. "What would you like?"

The young hybrid shrugged and in one smooth motion sat crossed legged on the floor. "Whatever is fine." He averted his gaze and stared blankly at the wall across from his mother.

Maddie nodded again and silently ascended the stairs to make another grilled cheese.

As she entered the kitchen, Jack immediately noticed her mood. "You ok, Mads?"

"He's hungry." She explained without missing a beat. Jack coughed. "How can he be hungry?" he asked.

"I don't know, but he is." Maddie opened the fridge, pulled out a drawer and grabbed two slices of cheese; one cheddar, the other swiss. Heading over to the stove, she grabbed two slices of bread on her way and turned the fire on under the frying pan she had used to make Jack's grilled cheese. Spreading butter on the bread, she placed one on the pan followed by the cheese and the other slice of bread.

As Maddie flipped the sandwich over, she realized that subconsciously, she was making the grilled cheese the way Danny liked it. No one else in the house ate it with swiss. Come to think of it, the two did bare a small resemblance…

She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. How ridiculous could she be? Danny was still in school and the only reason she was thinking that way was because the ghost boy somehow brought out her motherly instinct. She nodded mentally deciding that had to be it.

Placing the sandwich on the plate, she turned the fire off and went to the cupboard for the box of Cheez-its. '_Danny always eats these with grilled cheese_' she mentally added, the thought going almost unnoticed to even herself.

Something about the way Maddie was acting was beginning to worry her husband. She seemed as if her maternal side was getting in the way of her scientific curiosity. Although, he had to admit, the boy wasn't anything like he expected. He watched his wife quietly leave the room to deliver Phantom his food and wandered after her.

Once downstairs, Maddie dimmed just enough of the shield to slide in the food before increasing the power again. She watched as the ghost boy quietly and cautiously took the food and inspected it. After a few moments of that, the woman found herself losing patience. "It's not poisoned if that's what you're looking for."

That earned her a glare but other than that, no response. He finally took a bite and chewed carefully before deciding it wasn't going to kill him and began to eat in earnest. Maddie walked to her husband and shrugged. "I can't explain it."

Jack nodded in understanding. "I can't either. Have we really been so wrong about ghosts?"

"I don't think it's that." Maddie shook her head. "I think this one is unique."

"But why him? He terrorizes the town just like any other ghost. He has all the ghost abilities, so why is he so different?"

Once again Maddie shook her head. She was at a loss for words really. "I think we should let him eat and rest and after a while simply talk to him. We can test him later. He's too scared for that now."

Jack nodded and turned his own eyes on the boy. He was finished eating already and glaring in their direction. "He sure got an attitude fast, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. He went from crying and freaking out to being snippy." Maddie glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "Come on Jack. Let's give him space. Danny will be home soon and I want to tell him all about it."

"Sure thing, Mads! Danny will be so proud!" The large man puffed out his chest and Maddie couldn't help but laugh.

As they headed up the stairs, a now calm Phantom watched them go. Sadness settled over him. Little did his parents know their little boy would not be coming home today.

He knew he couldn't tell them. How could he? Who could love a halfa? He wasn't human and he wasn't a ghost. He was a monster. Yeah, his powers were cool sometimes and it felt good to save people, but when it came to his personal life, he suffered greatly. No one except Sam, Tuck and Jazz could know who he really was. The world would condemn a half human abomination like him.

No, they could never find out. They would have to miss their little boy for a while.

**--**

**:) Ok so I'm REALLY sorry that took so freaking long! Like my authors note said, my computer blew up. I still do not have Microsoft office on it, so I can't load it on my PC, but I was able to get it off of it and transfer the file to my laptop. I know it's not great, but I'm trying. The next chapters will hold some heart felt talks and stuff. This won't be a really long story, mostly Danny/parent bonding so yeah…I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Once again, sorry for the wait!**

**Review!**

**Kagome**


	3. Chapter 3

**Third installment to The Great Escape. I hope you enjoy it :). **

**Oh and I know Jack is OOC, but it's kind of hard to make an idiot think reasonably, so you will see some of his chipper self, but for the most part, he's similar to Maddie in personality. I just need him to think straight lol.**

**Disclaimer: These things get annoying. I own nothing!**

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Chapter Three

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As it turns out, Sam covered for him. Danny didn't know whether to be grateful or frustrated. His friends probably figured he was out ghost hunting and this time that excuse was playing against him.

It hadn't been long after his mom had left him to himself in the lab when both his parents returned. That's when he over heard Maddie telling Jack Sam had called and said Danny was staying with her.

Said teen was now warily eyeing his parents as they watched him, occasionally writing something down on a pad or tinkering with random instruments Danny was unfamiliar with. Something told him they weren't pleasant.

He cocked his head curiously as Jack turned to Maddie. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear what they were conversing about.

"Why don't we run a few tests?" the large man suggested carefully.

Maddie sighed. "I don't know, Jack. I'm not sure why, but it just wouldn't feel right."

"I understand, Mads," he reasoned. "But why not just simple tests? Like the ones Doctors run during a check-up?"

The female put a hand on her chin in contemplation. "Well we weren't able to get them while he was unconscious. I am curious as to what his exact temperature actually is. I suppose we can check that and his reflexes and the like." As the words rolled off her tongue, they surprised her. She never thought she'd test a _ghost_ for reflexes.

Her husband brightened. "Great! And I have just the thing!" The large man bounded to a table across the lab, Danny's wary eyes never leaving him, and picked up a device that looked akin to a bracelet. "This instrument will keep him from using his powers. If we can get it on him, we can keep him here and run our tests without worrying if he'll run."

Maddie bit her lip and glanced at Phantom, who was currently glaring again, and sighed. "I don't know, Jack. It's bad enough he's in there like a caged animal."

Jack's eyes widened slightly. "Maddie, I understand your concern, and I sympathize with you, but you have to remember, he's still just a ghost. We can treat him with care if you want, but he doesn't have rights."

With another glance at the ghost boy, Maddie gave in and nodded. She walked slowly over to the plasma shield and watched as the ghost once again pressed himself against the back of it. Jack joined her and held a gentle expression. It did nothing, however, to calm Danny.

"We would like to run a few tests," at Phantom's look of fear, she added, "They're non-invasive, I promise. Standard tests."

Danny shook his head. To his parents, 'standard tests' on a ghost could be anything.

Jack held up the device in his hand and smiled. "You'll get to walk around a bit."

Danny visibly brightened, but only momentarily. His fear filled eyes switched from his mom to his dad and back again, clearly unsure.

"I promise we won't hurt you." Maddie assured the sincerity in her eyes clearly evident.

"Unless you try to run." Jack reminded.

Danny, while still a little unsure, took Maddie's sincerity to heart. He stood and slowly, cautiously, made his way to the front of the plasma cage. The woman smiled and pressed a button on the console and a small opening was made in the plasma, just enough to allow an arm through. The ghost boy nervously pushed his hand through and allowed his dad to place the bracelet on him. With a _click_, it snapped in place and Danny felt a tingling sensation as the bracelet did its job and negated the use of his powers.

Maddie pressed another button and the plasma shield dissipated. Danny desperately wanted to run and even as his eyes flicked briefly to the stairs, he forced himself to calm down and stay put. His parents must have noticed this, as they tensed a little, second guessing their idea to let their captive out.

"What kind of tests are you going to run?" Danny asked, still nervous, but it let his parents know he wasn't going to run.

"Standard ones; temperature, reflexes, and perhaps some physical conditioning. Nothing invasive." Maddie answered as she picked up the thermometer and motioned for Phantom to sit on the examination table.

The young ghost hesitated briefly. If they ran these tests, it was possible they'd find out his secret. It scared him, but admitted that a small part of him wanted them to know, but was too scared to tell them. He loved his friends dearly, and they were his crutch, but he desperately wanted his parents to be there, to help him when things got too hard, to support him when he faced his toughest foes, and to love him, all of him, for who he was. They simply made his life harder by chasing him.

Nervous, Danny complied and sat on the table, the legs creaking slightly at the shift in weight. Maddie smiled as she popped the thermometer in his mouth and waited patiently. Jack retrieved a small mallet that Danny recognized was used by doctors to test reflexes.

"Eighty-two degrees." Maddie exclaimed when the thermometer beeped. "Definitely cold, hypothermic, in fact, for a human, but not as cold as we've seen with other ghosts."

"We also wouldn't normally test reflexes, but we noticed after we captured you that you seem to have a bone structure." Jack commented and then looked puzzled. "Ghosts aren't supposed to have a bone structure, so this is a little intriguing."

Danny shifted nervously and gulped. This didn't go unnoticed either by his mother.

He was seriously considering running now, no matter how much he secretly wanted them to know. He admitted to himself that he was a coward, but was perfectly ok with that as long as he could get away. The fear of them ripping him apart molecule by molecule was very deep rooted into him. He glanced at the bracelet. If he did manage to get away, he was stuck with this device on his wrist with no way of getting it off, not without a code.

He held on tighter to the edge of the table and jumped when Maddie's voice broke him from his thoughts. "Why are you so afraid of a simple test? We're not hurting you."

She took a step back when Phantom's steady narrowed gaze met hers. "There are some things you can't know." He growled before he could stop himself. He realized his mistake afterwards, but quickly shook it off and kept his glare on his mother.

Maddie was taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. Her and Jack exchanged glances, but he only shrugged at the ghost's outburst. His attention turned back to Phantom as he heard a huff.

"Why me? Why not study some other ghost? Why am I so special? Why can't you just let me go?!"

For once, the scientists were speechless. It wasn't long, however, until Jack found his voice. "Look, we're scientists, we study _ghosts_ and you're a _ghost_."

"There are plenty of other _ghosts_ you could study, in case you haven't noticed."

"Yes, but they couldn't elude our instruments by eliminating their ecto-signature." Maddie interjected.

Danny shut his mouth. He had never thought of that. _Stupid!_ He berated himself. All those times he hid from them and simply shifted back to human form would indeed eliminate his ecto-signature, at least enough to elude their tracking devices. _If I wasn't a C student, I would have figured that out_.

In truth, Danny always knew that's how he lost them. When in Danny Fenton mode, he easily avoided most of their devices. He simply didn't think about how different it made him from other ghosts or the fact that the others may not be able to do that.

He groaned and plopped his head in his hands. "Look guys, I applaud your enthusiasm for science, I really do, but some things are better left unknown." His voice was slightly muffled from his hands.

"And we promised we wouldn't do any invasive tests. At least give us these." Maddie reasoned, her eyes stern.

Danny looked up and matched her with another sharp glare. "You _already_ know too much."

Maddie softened, but Jack did exactly the opposite. "No, that's just it. We don't know _anything_ about you! That's why we want to run these tests!"

"Maybe _I_ don't want you to run the tests!"

"_You_ don't have a choice." Jack shoved his large finger in Phantom's face, causing the ghost boy to lean back. "_You_ are a _ghost_! And ghosts don't have rights!"

"Jack, that's enough!"

Both men flinched as Maddie's voice echoed in the lab. Her eyes were dead set on her husband in a formidable glare. The large man cleared his throat and stepped back, but kept his own glower on Phantom whom gladly returned it.

"He's not going to cooperate if you intimidate him." She scolded.

"He won't cooperate either way." Jack huffed and turned, stalking to another part of the lab. A crash was heard as the large clumsy man knocked a box of beakers off a table.

Maddie sighed, frustrated, and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Are you going to let us finish the tests or not?"

Phantom's demeanor was softer towards her, she noted, as his glare fell a little at her voice. "I told you, you already know too much." He said softly.

"Then you know you have to go back in the shield."

"Yeah, I'll go back in the shield." Danny sighed, defeated.

He slipped off the table and stepped into the area marked for the plasma shield. Maddie pressed the button on the console and the shield whirred to life. Danny sighed and sat down.

His mother gently approached Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder. He'd obviously calmed down as he turned and grabbed her hand in his, a soft smile on his lips. "Why don't you go upstairs and grill us up some hotdogs for dinner, dear?" she suggested.

Jack's smile broadened. "Can I use my new Fenton Griller?"

Maddie winced. "Perhaps you should try the regular grill. I don't want to buy a new table again, sweetie. One round of mutant, flesh eating, kitchen destroying hotdogs is enough."

His face fell and Maddie giggled. "I'll make you fudge after dinner."

Jack grinned and kissed his wife. "You rock, Mads!" And without another word he bounded up the stairs to prepare dinner.

Danny felt like a deer caught in headlights as his mother turned back to him. She walked over to another table and grabbed a chair, placing it in front of the shield. He gulped.

Maddie took her seat and stared curiously at her captive. It was time she got some answers.

--

**Ok I know this chapter was kinda boring and prolly OOC, but the next one has some mother/son bonding and some of the good action starts! I already know basically what I want for that chapter, so it shouldn't be too long before the next update. I'm sorry if this isn't as good as Cordria's. I simply can't write as well as she can.**

**Please review! It lets me know this is worth reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**EDIT: Ok so I had a few people point out a contradiction. My bad :). My mind was all over the place so I missed it. Yes, Danny already ate in front of them, so for those who missed this chapter before the update, this chapter is edited to take out his worry over eating.**

**Ok 4****th**** chapter! Like I said, mother/son bonding, and some good wholesome, ghost action :).**

**Disclaimer: I own this laptop, a car, and about three months worth of clothes. Not kidding. I had so much laundry to do I thought a department store exploded in the laundry room. I don't own DP though or the original plot line.**

**--**

Chapter Four

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The two sat quietly for a long time. The only sounds heard were the steady whirr of the plasma generator, the pulsing of the ghost zone, and the ticking of the clock on the wall. Danny fiddled with his hands intent on keeping his gaze anywhere but on his mother. Maddie's gaze, however, never left the perplexing being in front of her.

Danny's mind was everywhere at once. Were his friends worried about him? What exactly did his mom want to talk about? What did his parents think about him? Did they think he was just some freak of a ghost?

He was beginning to lose his patience. Unable to stand the silence, he spoke, "So…did you want something?"

Maddie smiled. "I thought maybe we'd just talk."

Danny finally met her eyes. "You're a scientist. It's never 'just talking'. You want to analyze me. You're just like my sister."

The last sentence was spoken deliberately softly, under his breath, obviously not for her ears. She heard it anyway.

"You have a sister?" she asked, surprised.

Danny back pedaled, inwardly wincing at his slip. "_Had_ a sister." He corrected.

"Oh, right." Maddie placed her hands on her knees. "So, what was she like?"

"She over analyzed everything. Whatever I said she turned into some sort of psychological project of hers." He smiled.

Maddie did too. "Sounds like my daughter."

Danny feigned surprise. "Wow. Didn't figure you for the mom type."

Maddie raised a brow. "I have two children. A daughter and a son." She retorted.

Phantom raised his hands in defense. "Whoa, I didn't mean to offend you."

His mother calmed. "No, it's alright. Not many figure us as the parental type, what with our profession."

A calm silence filled the room. Maddie shifted in her seat and Danny stood, pacing the length of the shield.

He stopped momentarily and said solemnly, "I bet it gets them in trouble."

Maddie started and looked curiously at Phantom, the concern and sadness so clear in his eyes. "I never really thought of it that way. I've never known them to be hurt by our job."

"Do they like it?"

Maddie furrowed her brow. "Our job?" he nodded. "Well, I'm not sure. They never really protested before, unless you count Jazz. But the last few months, she hasn't really objected."

Danny nodded but said nothing further. This time, it was Maddie who asked a question. "When did you die?"

The question caught Danny off guard. What was he supposed to say? He looked around the lab and licked his lips. Finally, he answered. "A year ago."

It was Maddie's turn to be caught off guard. He was that young? Well, in ghost terms. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. That was about when he started showing up. "How old were you?"

"Fourteen." Danny answered automatically before he could stop himself. He winced again at his stupidity.

"Wow…you were just a baby." Maddie's heart wrenched for him.

Danny scoffed. "I am not a baby."

"Sorry." Maddie quickly apologized. "It's just…my son isn't much older than you. I still see him as my little boy."

Danny's gaze softened. "It's ok."

"May I ask how you died?"

"An accident." Technically not a lie.

"What kind of accident?"

"I was electrocuted." Still, technically not a lie.

"I'm sorry. Your parents must miss you." Maddie seemed on the verge of tears. Danny never thought his mother would ever get emotional over a ghost.

Remembering his parents say that ghosts may not remember all aspects of their life, he lied. "I don't remember them."

"Oh…"

Maddie shifted in her chair, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Phantom's gaze seemed far away. Her thoughts drifted to her son. Ever since he was born they had been close, but lately, he was distant. Danny consistently missed curfew, he spent hours away from home and if he wasn't away, he was locked in his room.

She missed the bond she had with him.

She looked up to see Phantom gazing at her. When she noticed him he grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. That made her smile. "You remind me a little of my son." She said, surprising herself.

The ghost boy visibly tensed, which confused her, but she didn't show it. "He has the same nervous mannerisms."

"I'm a ghost, I'm nothing like your son." Danny said matter-of-factly.

"Perhaps, in that way. But you are unlike any ghost I've ever come across. You certainly are special." She smiled, making Phantom smile in return. "I wish circumstances were different."

Danny furrowed his brows. "How so?"

"You being locked in there. You being a ghost at all, really."

Danny brightened. "Then you'll let me go?"

Maddie laughed. "I didn't say that. I'd still like to know more about you. Besides, my husband would be furious."

Phantom sighed and plopped down on the floor, folding his hands under his chin.

"Mads! Dinner is ready!" Jack called from upstairs.

"Coming!" Maddie replied. She turned to Phantom. "We'll continue this tomorrow. I'm going to eat and go to bed. See you in the morning."

Phantom smiled and nodded as she left and then slipped to his side. Now to wait for morning.

Joy.

--

He scrunched his nose and furrowed his brow. Then he opened his eyes and mouth wide. After returning to a neutral face he twitched the corners of his mouth and flared his nostrils. He couldn't help it anymore and laughed at his own sleepless induced insanity. After hours of lying there with nothing to do and being unable to sleep, he was beginning to lose his cool.

Despite coming up with his own comic relief at some ungodly hour of the early morning, Danny did realize the seriousness of his situation. If he didn't show up at Sam's by morning, she would call Tuck and they'd go on a halfa hunt. He had no doubt Sam would find all sorts of sadistic ways of torturing the ghosts into giving her information on his whereabouts. Danny figured he had a week before they would finally give up and tell his parents he was missing, at least if his parents didn't protest his 'spending the nights' and demand he come home before then.

If only Jazz wasn't away. She'd be able to come down and set him free. He also mentally cursed himself for not having his cell on him. Jazz was constantly reminding him to take it, but now that she was gone for the weekend, she hadn't been there to remind him, so of course he forgot.

After mulling over his thoughts for an unknown amount of time and tapping his foot against the plasma shield for what Danny guessed to be an hour, he rolled over and sighed. He was very bored and very tired, but unable to sleep.

'_My life is one big joke.'_ He thought bitterly. Trapped in the basement of his own parent's lab, held captive by said parents, and caged like an animal. Someone had a sick sense of humor.

A sudden noise grabbed Danny's attention. He sat up, using his ghostly eyes to scan the pitch black like night vision. A rustling was heard from behind him coming from the direction of the portal. _Great, Dad forgot to close the portal_.

He turned around and sure enough, came face to face with whom he wanted to see least. He sighed angrily. "What do you want, Skulker?"

The robotic ghost laughed. "What I always want, whelp; your pelt on my wall."

"Seriously, do we have to do this now? I'm kind of held up here."

"I see that." Skulker circled the shield like a cat stalking its prey. "And you are exactly where I want you. You can not run." The large ghost lunged forward only to be shocked by the plasma shield. He grunted in pain and stepped back.

"And you obviously can't get in either." Danny folded his arms over his chest and smirked.

Skulker raised a brow and simply reached over and pressed the button on the console. Danny's smirk fell as the shield died and he was left exposed. He hesitated only momentarily before shrugging. "Oh well. I'll just kick your butt like usual."

Skulker grinned and swiped at Danny but he dodged and rolled to the side. Danny held up his hand to fire an ecto blast but was caught off guard as it failed and Skulker landed a good kick to his side. Danny fell back and stared at his hand in disbelief.

That's when he saw it. _Son of a—_he said a few choice words in his head as he stared at the device on his wrist. His dad had forgotten to take it off! He looked back up at Skulker who was currently grinning like a feral cat. "Can't we solve this peacefully?" he squeaked.

Skulker laughed again, a booming laugh and grabbed the front of Danny's jumpsuit, slamming him into a wall two feet off the ground. Danny winced at the pain in his head and wrenched his hands around Skulker's wrists in an effort to free himself. "I will have your pelt, ghost child. And tonight will be the night I get it."

Danny gulped. This wasn't going to end well…

--

**Evil cliffy of doom :).**

**Yes, this is a short chapter, but I finished it the day I posted the third chapter cuz I was excited :). Sorry about Jack in the last chapter, I know he was a bit mean.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will give kudos to whoever can guess how Danny's fight with Skulker ends! Lol I'd love to hear your scenarios. **

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok sorry to keep you waiting so long :). I had a math exam and currently have a Chem exam on Friday. Not looking forward to it…..ugh. Ok so most people were wrong in their scenarios but there were several who got very very close. They predicted the beginning of it right, but no one has guessed the ending :). **

**I'm also sorry to say that there may only be one more chapter to this story. I know you guys want more, but I never intended this to be a long story. It was supposed to be a short side story but I've had horrible writers block on my story Home so this one took center stage.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DP or the original plot line, only the plot after chapter one. **

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Chapter 5

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Maddie ran a brush smoothly through her brown locks. She couldn't explain it, but she was in a pretty good mood and it wasn't because she had Phantom trapped in her basement. No, she was happy because they had connected.

She lowered the brush from her hair and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Never before would she have ever thought she would connect with a ghost, especially not the infamous Danny Phantom.

Returning to her careful strokes she hummed a little song and swayed softly in time with the melody. Jack stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, interrupting her song, but she didn't mind.

"I love it when you hum." He said tenderly into her ear.

Maddie giggled and placed her small hand on his large one, meeting his eyes in the mirror. For a moment, all was right; for just a fleeting moment. They had Phantom, they were learning from him. They had the whole house to themselves for the night, and they didn't have a care right now. Maddie breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, savoring everything about that very moment.

Her husband backed up, still holding her hand and led her into their room. She briefly wondered if they were going to continue their actions from minutes before.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently, caressing her delicate face in his large calloused hand. When he pulled back, she could see the love in his eyes and she wished this moment would never go away.

Unfortunately, tonight was not their night.

A loud crash resounded through the house and the very foundations shook from the force. Both scientists' eyes widened as they said, "Phantom!" in unison.

--

Danny struggled against Skulker. The larger ghost laughed at Phantom's misfortune as the ghost boy kicked his metal suit and choked, trying to get air.

"I bet you wish you were full ghost right about now, huh whelp? You wouldn't need to breathe." Skulker cackled.

As Danny began to feel faint, instincts kicked in. He wasn't ready to die! He mustered all his strength and kicked out hitting a joint on Skulkers suit and making it buckle. Skulkers leg collapsed and he dropped Danny.

Danny hit the ground and laid there for a moment trying to catch his breath. In the corner of his vision, he saw Skulker stand and pound the joint back in place. As the larger ghost reached for him, Danny somersaulted and popped up a few feet away in a fighting stance.

Skulker's eyes glowed deeper with amusement. "You think you can take me, child? You don't have the use of your powers."

"I will still kick your butt!" Danny spat, but it only earned him another booming laugh.

The large ghost hurled himself at Danny who dodged, but just barely. Skulker managed to reach around with his left hand and pull out a sword like protrusion from his arm compartment and slice a thin line up Danny's leg. The young ghost winced but pushed back the pain and dodged the blade the second time.

This was the pattern: Skulker swung and Danny dodged. This happened over and over until Danny was nearly backed against the wall. He was tiring quickly, but Skulker still had plenty of energy.

As Danny's clumsiness kicked in, he silently prayed to anyone who may hear him for help. He tripped over a discarded box and fell back landing hard and knocking the wind from him. Danny only had time to glance up before the glowing blade was plunged into his upper right shoulder, just under the collar bone. He screamed as red and green pooled onto the floor.

He gritted his teeth and bit his lip to keep from screaming again as Skulker twisted the blade. He grabbed Skulkers arm but wasn't strong enough to pull the sword from his shoulder.

Just as he was about to give up hope, his salvation arrived.

"I'll have your pe-" Skulker was cut off and sent flying across the room with a flash of bright light. Danny lay still a moment getting a grip on his pain. He vaguely noticed the sound of guns charging and people shouting. As he began to come back to reality, he held his shoulder and sat up, getting to his knees.

"Stay away from him!" he heard someone shout, female.

He looked up and through his hazy eyes could make out his mom and dad. Maddie was sporting the Fenton Bazooka and Jack was waving around the Jack-o-Nine-Tails.

Maddie charged the Bazooka and fired, sending Skulker into a table. Jack swung his weapon and caught Skulkers leg, flinging him into the wall. As Jack continued to pummel the large ghost, Maddie's attention turned to the injured ghost boy currently kneeling on the floor.

As she placed a hand on his back he jerked away and hissed in pain. Concerned, the female lifted Phantom's face and felt her heart wrench as his pain filled eyes met hers. His shuddering breaths did not go unnoticed, nor did the red and green liquid pouring out from between his fingers.

Jack dodged an ecto blast and grabbed an ecto gun from a console and fired. Skulker stumbled back and was hit with another shot, sending him into the ghost portal. Jack quickly jammed his hand on the button and the portal closed, the green swirling vortex winking out as the doors shut.

The large man made his way to where his wife was and watched quietly and she tenderly inspected the young ghost.

Danny moaned and continued to push Maddie away whenever she tried to get near his wound. After a few minutes, she became frustrated. "Let me look at it. I can help." She huffed, throwing her arms at her side for emphasis.

"I'll heal." Danny rasped, unable to conceal just how much pain he was in.

"Please let me do something." Maddie insisted, but again, Danny pushed her away.

This time, the young ghost couldn't conceal his anger. "Don't you think you've done enough?"

Maddie and Jack were taken aback, but in the end, they knew he was right.

Danny took a breath and let it out, cooling off a bit. "Look, I'm grateful you came to help me, I really am. I would have been toast if it weren't for you guys."

Maddie's sad eyes concentrated on the tile floor. "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if it weren't for us, either."

Danny felt a pang of guilt. He really hadn't meant what he said. He didn't mean to upset her. He winced as pain shot up his arm in an effort to move it to touch her arm to console her.

But Maddie continued, her husband with her. "If we hadn't captured you, stuck you in that shield—"

"Placed that bracelet on you—"

"—and _forgotten_ about the bracelet, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Danny couldn't find the words to say to comfort them. He found it ironic that they now felt horrible for being responsible for a ghost being hurt. Without the words to console them, he said the only think he could think of; "Will you let me go?"

Maddie finally met his eyes again, sincerity and compassion in them. After an eternity, she responded, "Yes."

Jack nodded his agreement and stooped to enter the code on the bracelet. After the four number code, it beeped and clicked, popping open and clattering to the floor. "Are you sure you don't want help?" Jack asked again.

Danny shook his head. "It hurts, and it's deep, but I'll heal. I've been through worse."

He stood shakily and hissed through his teeth as he straightened his shoulder. After the pain passed and faded into a dull throbbing, he looked between his parents and smiled. "Thank you." He said sincerely.

Jack nodded and Maddie smiled.

Without another word, Danny went intangible and flew through the ceiling out into the night air. The chill hit him and he welcomed it. It was suffocating in that lab. With a deep breath he directed himself towards Sam, his personal nurse, and flew to her.

--

**Short I know, sorry! I have work and I wanted to get it out before you guys freaked on me :). I have one more chapter, and then maybe an epilogue. And I am currently working on the next one so it should be out soon :).**

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok I know I said this would be the last chapter, but I lied. I came up with a new idea so there is one more after this. :). I'm glad to have had so many reviewers, and I'm happy you've all been so loyal. I hope this doesn't disappoint!**

**Yes, there is some Danny/Sam fluff in this chapter. Sorry…I couldn't help myself. ^_^.**

**Lol I hope you all appreciate this too. I have a mild case of carpel tunnel and my right hand is currently in a brace. Typing hurts but I'm doing it anyway ^_^.**

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!**

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Chapter 6

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_WHAM!_

"Ow! What the heck was that for, Sam?!" Danny shouted as he held his aching cheek.

Sam was glaring furiously at her best friend. "Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "And that was for worrying me and Tucker to death!"

"It's not like I could contact you!" Danny whispered, perturbed. "I was locked in a shield!" he winced as Sam applied pressure to his still bleeding shoulder.

The Goth calmed a bit, but she was still annoyed. She knew it wasn't his fault, but if something were ever to happen to him…

She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. She patted his shoulder with a cloth coated in hydrogen peroxide and gingerly applied pressure on the wound. When she was done, she stepped back and took a good look. He healed fast, but this would definitely need a bandage. It would take a few days to heal completely. She turned around and grabbed the gauze to hide her blushing face as she said, "You'll need to take your shirt completely off."

Danny lowered his head to hide his own blush and complied. He let the blood soaked top half of his hazmat fall around his waist and waited.

Sam cleared her throat and turned back around, ignoring his chest. Danny wasn't buff, Dash certainly had a leg up on him there, but the ghost fighting had given him soft, distinct muscles; a light rippling six pack and a tight chest along with hidden biceps. They were noticeable when his shirt was off, but they were hidden well under his baggy tee shirts. Sam forced her mind elsewhere.

After applying an antibiotic cream, she wrapped his wound with wet-to-dry gauze and covered that with a wrap. It was an odd angle to work with, so the wrap went around his arm, over the shoulder and had to cross his chest around his back to keep it in place. She stepped back again to examine her handy work. Satisfied, she started to put away her kit. "You can put your shirt back on."

Danny once again complied and in a flash he was back to Fenton. With the change, however, came very unpleasant pain. He hissed and grabbed his shoulder.

Sam placed a hand on his, "Are you ok?"

Danny glared and rubbed the wound through the wrap. "Sorry, standard question." She bit her lip and removed her hand.

"It hurts worse when I'm human. But I suppose I should expect that; no ghostly ability to push back the pain." He gritted his teeth.

Sam nodded and grabbed a bottle from her kit and then went over to her mini fridge and snatched a soda. Handing Danny both, she said, "Take two of these, they should help with the pain."

"Thanks." He smiled gratefully as he took them. "What time is it?"

Sam glanced at the clock. "Four in the morning. I'm guessing you haven't slept?"

"Nope. But since my parents think I'm staying here anyway, I don't have to be back until later. Thank goodness for Saturdays."

Sam smiled. "You can take the bed, I'll take the chair. If you sleep in the chair that shoulder is going to be even sorer."

"I'm not taking your bed. It's yours, you sleep in it." He insisted but knew she'd probably win anyways.

"Daniel James Fenton, you will take the bed if I have to tie you to it." Her voice was menacing and low, making Danny gulp. Yeah, he lost.

With a sigh, he scooted himself back and carefully lowered himself to the bed into a somewhat comfortable position. Sam went to her closet and retrieved a blanket and extra pillow and curled herself into her couch.

Using her remote, she shut off the lights and snuggled into the warmth. She just started dozing when Danny interrupted her sleep. "Do you think my parents suspect anything?"

Sam yawned and Danny heard her shift around. "I doubt it. For all they know, Phantom simply goes against the norm for a ghost."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be hard to put two and two together. Not if they really thought about it."

"True," Sam started, "but you haven't given them a reason to start comparing Danny _Phantom_ to Danny _Fenton_. Without that little spark, I doubt they would even consider it."

"Maybe…" Danny was unsure. Sam was right, but his mother was smart.

He heard movement again and a sigh. "Look Danny, they had _Phantom_. We told them _you_ were here and you didn't tell them your secret either. So, crisis averted."

Danny sighed as Sam shifted back into a comfortable spot to sleep. With his eyes set on the ceiling, he murmured to himself. "Yeah…crisis averted."

--

As morning approached 10am, Danny was already wide awake. Sam had long since been up and around, as her mom had scared them to death by nearly walking in. Sam had to distract her. They certainly didn't have an alibi for why Danny was sleeping in her bed.

Danny slowly shifted to a sitting position and pulled his legs out from the covers to rest on the floor. Boy was he sore. He was going to have to be careful around his parents and try not to show how much pain he was in. As he was thinking this, Sam approached him.

"How are you feeling?" This earned her yet another glare. She threw her hands up in a defensive position. "Once again, standard question."

"I feel like a blade pierced my shoulder." He deadpanned.

Sam sighed and threw her hands up in defeat. "I give up. Men are impossible."

This made Danny chuckle. "What are you laughing at, ghost boy?" Sam snapped but with a hint of playfulness dancing in her eyes.

"You." He said simply and stiffly got to his feet. "You're amusing." He stated through gritted teeth.

"And what, pray tell, is so amusing?" Sam crossed her arms.

"Everything." Danny smiled as Sam's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to say something more.

"I am _not_ above punching you in the shoulder."

Danny clamped his mouth shut and stared at Sam in disbelief. Was she serious?

Sam simply shrugged and walked into her bathroom leaving a dumbfounded Danny standing next to the bed.

It wasn't long before she returned. She smiled at the pouting halfa who was currently glaring out the window. She couldn't help herself. "You know, if you do that long enough, your face may get stuck like that."

Danny huffed making her giggle. A few moments passed in silence. Despite Danny's hard look, he really wasn't upset. The teasing was all for fun, so the silence was comfortable.

"I'll need to go home soon." He broke the silence as he turned around. He blushed slightly as Sam looked up from where she was messing with her make-up on her dresser, toothbrush poking out of her mouth and eyes full of playful innocence. She was a bit disheveled, but cute all the same.

She pulled the toothbrush from her mouth, "You'll need to avoid your dad somewhat. You don't need him giving you the 'ol' pat on the back'."

Danny winced. Yeah…that might hurt. "I'll keep that in mind."

Sam returned to her bathroom and came back out, toothbrush gone. "You may need to just go ghost and fly out of here. My parents are downstairs."

"That wouldn't go over well either." Danny smiled remembering the last time his parents found him in Sam's room. Luckily, Sam was strong willed and was able to keep them from getting the restraining order.

"Alright, I might as well get going. Thanks Sam, for everything." He shot her one of his warm genuine smiles. Sam turned her head to avoid him seeing her blush.

"No big, I do it all the time." She assured him. "Just be careful, ok?" She turned back to him, her eyes pleading.

"I will, I promise." He used his index finger to cross his heart. In a flash, he changed into Phantom and floated. With one last wave he went invisible and flew through her ceiling towards home.

Sam stood in her room. He care free face fell and was replaced with worry. "I hope so."

--

Danny flew to an alley way next to his house and turned back into Fenton. As he did, the pain came rushing back and he doubled over. _Why does it still hurt so much?_ He thought. Shaking his head and giving himself a few moments to cope, he managed to stand up straight with only a little bit of soreness. Satisfied, he went to his front door and entered.

As he entered, he could see his mom and dad at the dining table eating breakfast and chatting excitably about something, which he could probably readily guess.

As the door clicked shut, they finally noticed him. "Danny! You're home!" Maddie smiled. Jack turned around in his seat. "Hey Danny boy!"

Danny smiled back, at least they hadn't figured anything out yet. "Hey mom, hey dad, what's up?"

"You missed it, son! We caught Phantom!" Jack said with a big grin.

"Really?" Danny feigned surprise. "How'd that go?"

Maddie frowned a bit. "We'll it was interesting to say the least. He certainly is special."

"Is he in the lab?"

Jack shook his head. "We let him go last night."

Once again, Danny pretended to be surprised. "Really? Wow, I thought you wanted to rip him apart 'molecule by molecule'." He said using air quotes.

"That was the idea in the beginning." Jack started. Maddie finished, "But we just couldn't do it. He seemed…well. This goes against everything we've studied but, he seemed almost human."

Danny cringed slightly at the comment but only nodded. "That's pretty cool. You learn something new everyday!" he said nervously. He reached up to rub the back of his neck, his usual nervous habit, and winced slightly from the pain. Maddie noticed.

"Are you ok, Sweetie?" she frowned.

"Y-yeah! I-I'm perfectly fine! Why w-wouldn't I be fine?" _Smooth_. He thought.

Maddie eyed him but dropped the subject.

"Mads is gonna make breakfast soon, want some?" Jack piped in, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"Sure." Danny smiled, glad the tense moment was over.

Maddie stood and began to gather the things she would need for pancakes. Danny sat at the table and listened to his father give the play by play of everything they found out about Phantom. Maddie listened as she quietly hummed to herself.

"-and he seemed to have a bone structure!"

"That's pretty cool, Dad." Danny smiled again.

"But that's not even the best part! See when we-"

Maddie heard bits and pieces of the conversation, but as she hummed she began to think of the events herself.

"I couldn't believe when he said he was hungry. I didn't think ghosts ate, but he does!" Jack waved his arms around excitedly.

Danny chuckled. "Well, like I said, you learn something new everyday." At that Maddie turned to see him rub the back of his neck, again wincing. But it was the action that had her staring. He looked just like Phantom had when she saw him do that.

Danny noticed her gaze. "You ok, Mom?"

She shook her head. "Yes, Sweetie, I'm fine." She smiled and returned to her cooking, but her thoughts remained on her son and Phantom. Engrossed in her own thoughts, she _almost_ didn't hear what Danny and Jack said next. Almost.

"So Jazz is still at some psych convention thing or something?" Danny asked.

Jack nodded. "Yup, won't be back till tomorrow."

Danny laughed. "Good, then I won't have her here to over analyze me this weekend."

Maddie stopped_. "She over analyzed everything. Whatever I said she turned into some sort of psychological project of hers."_

That's what Phantom had said, and even though Danny had said it differently, the voices were the same. _No…_ she thought.

She turned around, but instead of seeing her son, an image of Phantom sat in the seat where Danny had been. She dropped the plate in her hand.

"Mads!"

"Mom!"

Both men came rushing to her. "Are you ok?" Jack asked, frantically trying to get her attention. She simply stared at Danny, making him very uncomfortable.

As quickly as the image appeared, it was gone just as fast. She blinked and stared at her son. "I think I'm hallucinating." She said finally, holding her head.

"Let's get you to a chair." Jack insisted. Danny reached out to help, but hissed in pain as Maddie lost her footing and leaned into him.

Both parents stopped and stared at their son. Danny backed up. The look in his mother's eyes said it all.

"Danny come here." She asked.

He shook his head. Jack looked between them, confused.

"Danny, come here." This time it was demanding; a much more forceful command.

He gulped but still shook his head. Maddie walked towards him and he backed up. "Let me see your shoulder." She insisted.

"No." He said, his voice barely a whisper. His heart wanted them to know, but his brain was making him panic.

Maddie pushed forward and Danny's back hit the wall. He felt himself start to hyperventilate and his heart quicken its pace. She was close, much too close.

As she reached out to grab his arm, her hand went right through. She gasped as did Jack.

"Please, don't do this." Danny pleaded, tears now forming in his eyes.

"Danny…what's going on?" Jack questioned.

Maddie reached out one more time and Danny panicked. In a desperate attempt to elude her, he did the only thing his mind could comprehend at the time.

He disappeared.

Maddie gasped again as her son disappeared before her eyes. She groped around, but he was no longer there.

Jack forced Maddie to look at him. "Mads, what just happened?" his voice was shaking.

"Jack…" she shuddered. "Our son…he's…he's Danny Phantom."

--

**I know…another evil cliffhanger…darn my new ideas. One more chapter. We'll see what happens between son and parents!**

**Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, this is it, the last chapter of The Great Experiment! I'm so glad you guys liked it, and I'm grateful to all my reviewers. :)**

**And yes, a little more Sam/Danny fluff. I just can't help myself :).**

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

**--**

Chapter 6

--

Maddie did the only thing her brain could comprehend: she broke down.

Jack held fast to his wife as her knees gave out. His own mind was still trying to process exactly what his wife had just said.

Maddie, on the other hand, was in hysterics. "My baby! My baby boy!"

Jack gently lowered his wife to the floor and held her close. "Are you sure, Mads?"

Maddie's gaze met her husbands in astonishment. "How could I not be, Jack? He just disappeared!" She buried her face in his husband's hazmat suit and cried. She held him tightly.

Jack ran his fingers through Maddie's hair trying to sooth her. He began to realize the seriousness of her words. "If he's Phantom…that means…"

Maddie nodded into his suit. "We shot at him! We hurt him! My baby boy, I shot him!"

Jack became solemn, a feeling of dread surrounding the two of them. "Why didn't he tell us?" Jack whispered.

Maddie sniffed as she pulled her head from Jack. "Would you have? We shot at him on an almost daily basis, not to mention all the times we said we wanted to rip him apart. Danny ran because he doesn't trust us." She was shaking now.

She was right. How many times had he hunted Phantom? He couldn't count how many times they had actually hit him with an ecto blast. And all those horrible things they said to him…

"If he would have just said something, we could have helped him." Jack reasoned. He understood his son's distrust, but it still hurt.

"He's a teenaged boy, Jack. He was scared." Maddie said, her voice barely a whisper. She was beginning to calm, but her sobbing had given her hiccups.

"We need to find him." Jack started. "We need to find him, and talk to him. He needs to know its ok, we still love him."

Maddie nodded and wiped her eyes. She stood with determination. She would find her baby boy, and bring him back to her.

--

Danny dialed Sam on his cell. It rang a few times and he growled. "Come on, come on, come on!" Finally, Sam answered.

"Hello? Danny?"

"No time to talk, Sam. Call Tuck and meet me at the Nasty Burger in ten!" he hung up and flew towards the restaurant. His heart was beating a mile an minute and the pain in his shoulder was nearly unbearable at the speed he was at, but he refused to slow down. He needed as much distance from him and his parents as possible.

At the Nasty Burger, he flew behind it and changed back into Fenton. He entered the restaurant and sat at the normal booth. It would be a few minutes before his friends showed up, so he took the time to calm himself as much as he could.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Sam and Tuck showed up, both with worried and confused looks. They sat across from Danny. "You ok, Dude?" Tuck asked.

Danny was shaking as he tried to hold himself together. "They know…" he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Sam and Tuck shared a look. "What did you say?" Sam wasn't sure she heard him right.

"They know!" Danny repeated in a harsh whisper. "I told you, Sam, my mom is too smart. She figured it out!" he waved his arms around in frustration.

"Alright, alright calm down." Sam warned. Her best friend's antics were beginning to draw stares.

Tucker shook his head. "How did she figure it out?"

Danny stilled, his gaze focused on the table, a solemn look on his face. "I'm not sure exactly. She was making breakfast and suddenly dropped a plate. She felt faint so dad and I went to help her over to a chair. She lost her balance and leaned on me, I couldn't help but jerk away from the pain in my shoulder. When I looked up, the look on her face…she knew instantly."

Sam placed a hand on Danny's. "Was it just her expression that told you?"

Danny shook his head, flipping his hand over to hold hers. "She wanted to see my shoulder. She knew I'm injured. I'm pretty sure she put two and two together…especially since I went invisible." He whispered the last part but his friends still heard him.

"Dude, you went invisible right in front of them?" Tucker said, wide-eyed.

"I panicked, Tuck. I didn't know what else to do." He was so absorbed in the conversation he failed to realize he had begun playing with Sam's hand. She noticed it, however, and blushed lightly, but refused to move her hand away.

"If they know now, Danny, your only choice is to face them." Tucker reasoned.

Danny sighed. He knew that, he just wasn't sure he could do it. "You were going to face them, right?"

Danny remained silent and Tucker shook his head. "What did you expect to do, dude? You can't run away from this."

"I know, Tuck! I'm just not ready." Danny pulled his hand from Sam's and crossed his arms over his chest, gazing out the window.

Sam sighed and closed her eyes a moment before opening them again. "Danny, they love you. They're your parents; they'll love you no matter what you are."

Danny closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. He looked at though he was about to cry. As he spoke, his voice cracked. "I know. I-I'm scared. What if th-they don't accept me as I am?"

"We've known your parents forever, Dan. Trust me, you're their son. They will accept you." Tucker wasn't sure of what else he could say.

--

The Fentons had gone to Sam's and Tucker's but Danny wasn't at either home. He had to be with his friends if they were gone too.

They searched the arcade, the library, the theatre. Everywhere they went; there was no sign of their son. As they began to give up hope, they struck an idea.

"Hey, sweetie, what about the Nasty Burger? Don't they hang out there a lot?" Maddie put a hand on jack's shoulder.

Jack stopped at a stop light and thought about it. "Yeah, I suppose so. That's where a lot of the teenagers go. It can't hurt to look."

With new found hope, the two headed for the Nasty Burger.

--

After more than half an hour of debating, Danny still refused to go home and see his parents. He just wasn't ready.

"Can't I stay with one of you tonight?" Danny pleaded.

Both of his best friends shook their heads. "You need to confront them today." Sam said sternly.

Danny let his head fall to the table with a thud. He sighed heavily and covered his head with his hands. He really was at a loss for what to do. He knew what he _should_ do, but it went against what he _wanted_ to do.

As he brought his head up to say something he paused. His eyes went wide and he began to sweat. Sam and Tucker stared at their friend's odd behavior before following his gaze. Outside the window, the Fentons had just parked and were about to head inside.

Danny began to hyperventilate. Sam grabbed his hand. "You're not going anywhere." She said as she realized he was about to run.

"Yeah, dude, you need to stay here. Just talk to them."

Danny licked his lips nervously as his eyes darted from his parents to his friends. "Please…" he begged. "I can't do this."

"You have to." Sam held tighter to his hand. She knew he could run if he wished, but she hoped her grip on him would make him think twice.

Danny shut his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. "Please, don't tell them I'm here."

"We won't lie to them." Tuck stated plainly.

"Please!" Danny begged again. As his parents entered the restaurant he turned invisible. Luckily the restaurant wasn't too busy this morning and no one noticed.

Tucker shook his head but Sam nudged him in the side and motioned towards her hand. He had gone invisible, but he hadn't left. She still held his hand.

"Sam! Tucker!" Maddie hurried her way over to the two teenagers. "Oh thank goodness, have you seen Danny?"

Sam and Tucker exchanged looks, clearly unsure if they should lie or rat their best friend out.

Jack came up behind his wife out of breath. "Please, we really need to talk to him." His eyes were full of sorrow.

The pair said nothing and their silence upset Maddie. "Please, you two. I have to see him! I want my baby boy back."

Sam's heart ached at the hurt in Maddie's voice. She did accept Danny. After one last look at Tucker, she squeezed Danny's hand. Jack and Maddie noticed the action and watched Sam's hand. At first, nothing happened. Sam squeezed again and this time, after a few moments, another hand slowly appeared intertwined with hers. Little by little, Danny's arm became visible and it continued until he was fully visible.

His eyes stayed on the table, clearly nervous and unable to speak to his parents. Maddie sat down next to her son and wrapped her arms around him. Danny tensed slightly.

Jack smiled lightly at his son when Danny spared him a fleeting glance. Other than that, the halfa looked everywhere but at them. "My baby boy, why didn't you tell us?" Maddie whispered, her voice shaking with emotion.

Danny licked his lips again and lifted his free hand to grab his mothers arm. She pulled back and he finally found the courage to look at her. He didn't say a word, but what he wanted to say was seen clearly in his eyes.

Jack placed a firm hand on Danny's shoulder making him wince in pain. Jack pulled back quickly. "Sorry, son." His eyes softened. "For everything."

"I wish you would have told us sooner, Danny." Maddie said. Danny's eyes began to tear and Maddie wiped a stray tear from his cheek as it fell. "You're our son; we don't care what you are. We love you anyway."

Danny finally let go of Sam and hugged his mother back. Jack wrapped his large arms around them both. The action had a few people staring, but it was quickly dismissed.

"When did it happen, son?" Jack asked.

Finally finding his voice, Danny pulled back. "Two years ago, when I was fourteen. There was an accident in the lab…Remember when the portal suddenly started working?"

Maddie and Jack both nodded.

"That was me. I walked in to help figure out what was wrong with it. I tripped over a wire and hit something. It just…turned on while I was in it."

Maddie gasped lightly. "Were you hurt?"

Danny nodded. "At first it hurt a lot. It felt a lot like sticking metal into a live socket, only it's not just your hand getting shocked, it's your whole body and ten times worse."

Maddie placed a hand over her mouth. "My baby…"

"I'm fine mom. After it was over, it didn't hurt anymore. I woke up and…I was Phantom."

Sam and Tucker smiled at their friend as he looked to them for support. They encouraged him to keep going.

Danny cleared his throat. "Sam and Tuck were there. They've known since it happened. Jazz found out a few months later. I've been fighting evil ghosts ever since."

"That's what all the bruises were actually from?" Jack questioned and Danny nodded.

"I'm clumsy, but I don't trip and fall on a daily basis." He smiled, the tension staring to ebb away.

Maddie smiled back at her son. "We were so convinced that Phantom was evil. You really aren't, so what was all that we saw?"

Danny chuckled. "You guys have crappy timing. You always seemed to show up when things weren't going my way. The mayor thing…he was overshadowed. The ghost was trying to make me look bad. And the reason I shot at you…I thought you were overshadowed too." He laughed again. "I was trying to force the ghosts out of you."

Jack furrowed his brow. "Have you ever over shadowed us?"

Danny laughed nervously. "No, no! Of course not!"

His parents gave him skeptical looks, but left it at that. Maddie bit her lip, unsure if she should ask. Her curiosity won out in the end. "How do you do it? Transform, I mean. Can we see it?"

Danny looked around. It was early, but there were to many people to risk it. He shook his head. "Not here. I need cover."

As those words left his lips, a loud crash was heard outside. A woman came running by the window screaming, "Ghost!"

Skulker came into view. "Come out, Ghost child! I will have your pelt today!"

Maddie scrunched her nose in disgust at the ghost's choice of words. "Looks like that's your cue." Jack said, smiling.

"I guess it is. Want to help?" He smiled back at his parents.

"Be glad too!" Jack roared as he held up a fist. Sam and Tucker shook their heads at his antics.

They all left the booth and went around the back of the Nasty Burger. Tucker pulled a Fenton thermos from his backpack and tossed it to Danny. Danny caught it and smiled at his friend.

"You both ghost hunt as well?" Maddie asked.

Sam nodded. "We're Team Phantom!" Tucker stated proudly. Sam and Danny rolled their eyes.

"Time to kick some ghost butt." Danny's eyes flashed green. He reached within himself for his ghostly presence and a few moments later, white rings formed around his middle; one traveled up and the other down. When it was done, Phantom stood in his place.

Jack and Maddie stared in awe.

Sam pulled out the Fenton lipstick laser and Tucker sported the wrist ecto blasters. All three put on their Fenton phones.

"You guys really are prepared." Jack marveled.

Danny shrugged. "This is just the story of my life."

He took off, Sam and Tucker hot on his heels. Maddie equipped her Fenton Bazooka and Jack held the Fenton Fisher in one hand and the Jack-O-Nine Tails in the other. "Let's go get 'em baby!" he yelled and ran after this son.

Maddie giggled and followed.

Danny spared a look down at his parents. He smiled, grateful they knew and accepted him. They would make great additions to Team Phantom. He snorted and rolled his eyes. _Tucker is rubbing off on me_. He scoffed in his head.

Yup, this was the story of his life. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

--

**I hope you guys liked it. I'm not extremely satisfied with the ending, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!**

**I had fun writing this, and I thank all my reviewers for your feedback! **

**Sayonara!**

**~Kagome51**


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